Originally Posted by
drewguy
I have less frequently encountered ATC delays on international flights.
BTW, I think one benefit of morning flights is that the endemic delays haven't rippled through the system. Sometimes the problem is simply that the incoming equipment hasn't arrived yet because of delays, thereby delaying the later flight.
I would venture to guess that few of your international flights have to use the busy air corridors in the BJ-SH-HK triangle. The ones that have no other options are subject to the exact same delays (e.g. PEK-SIN/BKK is every bit as bad as PEK-CAN/SZX when the skies are clogged). Inbound performance tends to be a little better because ATC has (a tiny bit of) mercy for planes that are already in the air, but holding patterns over Changsha or outright diversions are also fairly common.